Psalm 46:1-3 AMP, "God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!"
We live in a world that is always changing. Sometimes the changes we experience are good changes that we've been longing for. At other times, however, the changes we face are unexpected, unwanted, and uncomfortable.
I'm a girl who likes stability. I like to know what to expect up ahead because it makes me feel like I have some kind of control (ha!). The planner part of me wants to have something to look forward to that I can count on.
Something I've found on my journey with God, though, is that rarely does He show me what lies up ahead. Rather, He asks me every day to walk by faith and trust Him with the outcome of my life.
I've been reading in Deuteronomy lately, and verse after verse I find God saying this one simple thing: "Let not your [minds and] hearts faint; fear not, and do not tremble or be terrified [and in dread] because of them. For the Lord your God is He Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you." Deuteronomy 20:3b-4 AMP.
I've never read in the Bible to not be afraid because everything was going to go well for me and I wasn't going to have a care in the world. It doesn't say that. All throughout the Bible, the one constant I can find is that God will always be with me. He will never fail or abandon me. He will never change.
In my personal life, I've had a lot of good changes taking place recently. God's put a really solid, godly man in my life whom I love with all my heart. I've been hoping to begin a new season and get a new job for a while now, and God opened the door for me to get a job at a place where the hours work out better for me and whose owners are Christians from what I understand. Both of these changes are ones I'm grateful for and looking forward to seeing all God has in store for them.
Some changes that are more difficult for me to accept are the changes I see happening in the world around me. The Facebook News Feed is blowing up with "wonderful" reminders of what's happening in our world today. If I look for my stability in an ever changing world, my heart will never find the rest it so desperately longs for.
Philippians 4:6-7 has the answer to how to have the peace we are searching for. It says, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." AMP.
When I don't just read those two verses, but I actually apply them to my life, I find peace. Peace doesn't come from easy or reliable circumstances. It doesn't come from knowing what the future holds. It comes when you finally get on your knees before the One Who holds your future in His hands.
Life isn't certain. Circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. But one thing I hold on to is this: "God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 AMP.
Dear Heavenly Father,
In a world that is ever changing, my heart finds rest in You. I sometimes think I'd like to know what lies up ahead, but instead You desire me to walk by faith and trust You with every step I take. Thank You for the peace You bring to my heart even in the midst of uncertain circumstances. Let that peace be evident to the world around me, and when they ask what's different, let them see You. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.
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